Microstructuring of materials is of critical importance for manufacturing of a wide variety of advanced electronic, optical and mechanical devices ranging from displays to biosensors. For this purpose a number of methods have been developed, including lithographic techniques such as photo-, x-ray- and electron-beam lithography, microcontact-printing, micromolding and cold-welding. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,886,627; 4,997,522; 5,512,131; 5,810,945; 6,020,107; 6,074,513; 6,159,832; 6,168,897; 6,177,354; and 6,180,239. The main disadvantage of the most of these techniques is that they often are of restricted applicability, involve a multitude of elaborate and cumbersome processing steps, or frequently require aggressive chemistry. Hence a need continues to exist for a simple, less costly method that permits reliable production of microstructured objects.